Sony XBR-65A9G 65-inch TV: MASTER Series BRAVIA OLED 4K Ultra HD Smart TV with HDR and Alexa Compatibility – 2019 Model

Description

• OLED + PIXEL CONTRAST BOOSTER: Millions of individual pixels are supercharged for more vibrant colors to complement absolute OLED black.
• MASTER OF QUALITY: Faithfully conveys creator’s intent on...

  User reviews

  ★★★★☆ We’ve had 4K TVs since the technology first went mainstream three or four years back, including a Sony XBR85X850D, which is currently our primary television. Even without a ton of 4K content—though we do have 4K blu-rays and Apple TVs—the picture quality on an Ultra HD TV is still light years ahead of regular HD sets. Add in HDR, and the picture is just really, really hard to beat.This is our first time experiencing OLED 4K and even with high expectations, my initial reaction to the picture is … Wow. The blacks are inky and the colors rich and full. Don’t think I’ve ever had a TV that needed so little out-of-the-box adjustment. Just stunning.I usually tweak and fuss with the settings on a new TV for hours initially; but this one, while infinitely adjustable, took just a couple minutes. So happy it doesn’t arrive with artifact creating settings turned on by default. The built-in “auto-switch” settings (which, unfortunately, only work on compatible inputs) that sense what you’re watching and change the picture settings to match are a game changer. Put in a 4K blu-ray and it changes your screen to Cinema Pro mode, watch Netflix and it auto-selects the best screen for that, too. Really cool and unlike a lot of default video settings actually seem to genuinely enhance the screen, even for someone like me who is pretty picky about video.The auto-brightness setting also works wonders. This set is in a bedroom and the difference between watching at daylight or in the dark just before bed is immense and the sensor does seem to work, making adjustments to keep the picture stunning in any light setting.Not that set-up was without flaw. The remote I received was either a lemon, or something else is up with the IR reception here. Even after replacing batteries with three fresh sets it would only work every third or fourth press, and usually only after taking the batteries out and shifting them around. Possible it was a short somewhere and I just had a dud, but it made the lengthy checkbox set-up process very cumbersome, as it wouldn’t even work with the remote actually touching the TV’s IR sensor.I use a universal remote to control all our home theater hardware, so once I had the initial set-up complete I could switch to that and it controls the set flawlessly (using TV’s built-in bluetooth which you have to get a pairing code for, which can’t happen until after initial set-up), but still not something you should be struggling with on a TV this pricey.My other complaint, and why I can’t rate this 5-stars, is the iteration of smart TV used here isn’t as navigable as our other Sony Android set. The apps you download don’t automatically appear on the apps line on the home screen, and you have to go to an additional menu setting or sidebar to access them. Just a clumsy process and the layout of the menu/home screen also isn’t quite as intuitive; The tweaks they’ve made are definitely not for the better.The one-button Netflix access does work totally flawlessly and is near-instant, but feels like they’ve made getting to apps that didn’t pay for consideration purposely more difficult to get to. Which, again, when you’re talking about a $3,000+ TV is fairly galling.We did have one other set-up snafu where we had sound, but no picture (menus were visible, but video didn’t display), that I messed around with for way too long before just resetting the system (hold power button on remote for 10 seconds until unit restarts with Android logo), which fixed it immediately.Other than those fairly minor gripes, both ameliorated for us by other devices (Logitech remote and Apple TV), this TV is simply stunning. Thinner than finger-width it was simple to mount on the wall and comes with plates that cover all the input areas, making it look almost as sleek from the back, as the front. (We did have to leave one plate off, because it wouldn’t fit over 3 HDMI + ethernet and antenna cables.) Attention to small details like that, and built-in cord management, make this an aesthetic, as well as functional, display device.By the way, when I say this TV is thin, I’m not kidding around. It made the three-year-old Samsung it replaced look like a clunky tube TV in comparison. Definitely a futuristic design with an emphasis on thinness.The built-in sound, if you’re using it, is solid; better than most flat screens, which is, again, impressive in a model this narrow, and the picture really is second to none, even in a house with multiple high-end TV sets.Gorgeous TV, and if you’ve got the money to spend, I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.

  ★★★★★ The tv has excellent picture quality and was pretty easy to set up. However, we were disappointed in Amazon’s shipping and customer service. Counted on fast shipping, but the tv arrived outside of the stated delivery timeframe. It took 8 days despite the claim of free one day Prime shipping. It was 4 days after the tv shipped before it arrived. Plus, since delivery required a signature, and tracking indicated incorrectly that the package was “out for delivery “ I ended up waiting all day for the tv to arrive. Then, waited again the following day. The result of my chat with Amazon customer service was an offer of $5 for the error. My last big ticket purchase here.

  ★★★★★ If you are concerned about OLED panel lottery, avoid LG and go with Sony. Why Sony OLEDs are more expensive than LG OLEDs, well the main reason is that Sony Master Series OLEDs use Grade A OLED panels from LG Display so the chances of getting a set with poor uniformity/banding and tinting is way less than with LG OLEDs. My set has almost perfect white uniformity and 5% looks great after the first short compensation cycle. Not to mention that colors, motion and upscaling are great on this set!! If you are looking for the best 2019 OLED, get the Sony, period!!!

  
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